


What Happens in Blackwood, Stays In Blackwood

by nandonman



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: AU where Josh invites them back for an actual party, Angst City, Bottom Josh, F/F, F/M, Gen, Josh Washington Lives, M/M, but the wendigos still show up :), emily wants to be petty at mike, stoner character, warning: i love angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:07:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23555014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nandonman/pseuds/nandonman
Summary: Reed Simons just couldn't say no when Em gave him the offer.I mean, a chance to escape to the mountains for a weekend? Even if he had to pretend to be his roomie's boyfriend, think of all the sights he could see!--Could photograph. His portfolio was looking a little worse for wear, anyhow.And besides, what could possibly go wrong?-&-Sam Giddings couldn't believe her luck. She half expected Jessica to freak out about the gay thing and tell everyone she knew that Sam Giddings was a freak. But . . .Well, that was six months ago. Since then she's lived on cloud 9, having Jessica as her other half. She looked forward to the weekend ahead, knowing perfectly well that it was about time to take things to the next level with Jess.If only it were that easy.
Relationships: Background Ashley Brown/Chris Hartley, Josh Washington/Original Character(s), Josh Washington/Original Male Character(s), Sam Giddings/Jessica Riley
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	What Happens in Blackwood, Stays In Blackwood

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there lovelies, thank you for taking the time to check out my fic. Just a few tips before we get going.  
> Things in /slashes/ are meant to be italicized.  
> Trigger warnings will be posted for each chapter.
> 
> CH1 TRIGGERS: none

"Holy shit, Em."

Reed stood tall beside the shorter woman, holding her suitcase in one hand and his own bag on his back. Snow littered wind tousled his thin, dark hair--such as it was--cascading across his vision as he took in the view before them.  
After getting off the cable car, he'd stopped to get a better view of the mountain. And damn. A view did he get.

"I know you haven't been on a mountain before, homebody, but it's too cold for sightseeing. Come on. We should get to the lodge."

Reed nodded at Em's words and mumbled some half-baked excuse as he got out his camera from a bag slung across his shoulders. Carefully, he took out his Canon and lifted it, frowning as the white balance was way unqualified for the current scene. Emily groaned behind him but didn't stop Reed from taking a few pictures. Afterward, he turned and started following Emily back to the lodge, knowing full well that she'd sooner leave than wait for him to put his camera up, too.

It was a cold, long walk to the lodge. Emily made it very clear how she felt about it all.  
"Why couldn't they have built their place closer to the cable car? This is pointless."

Reed shrugged. "Maybe they need the cardio."

Emily scoffed. "Yeah, right. Their whole family's made of sticks."

"I'll fit right in then."

When they finally arrived at the lodge, Reed had to take a moment to take it all in. The lodge was easily three stories tall, stretching into the dark mountain sky, giant windows disappearing past an onslaught of snow. It looked like someone was already inside, and so Emily and him made their way to the front door and knocked.

They waited for a minute before the door swung open to reveal a grinning young man with wide eyes and a slim build.  
"Emily! And, uh . . ."

Reed locked eyes with the man. "Reed. I'm, uh . . . Emily's boyfriend."

"Oh, yeah! Yeah, that's right. Well-welcome to the party, pals. Come on in. It's cold as hell out there."

Emily made a snide remark about "and yet you built this place out here," and Reed followed her into the warm, welcoming air of the cabin. Well. Cabin didn't feel right to say. It was more like a mansion.  
Warm, golden light poured from a chandelier in the main living room and from a sequence of hidden lights atop the cabinets and shelves around the hallways and kitchen. The polished wood beneath them was pristine and unmarred, which had Reed taking off his shoes, just in case.

A few feet away, two figures stood, laughing in the kitchen. Reed caught a glimpse of blond hair before a figure stepped into view.

"I'm Josh, by the way."

Reed looked up at the other man and stood tall as he slipped his last shoe off. The action had him standing a good three inches or so above the curly haired guy.  
"Cool. This is your place, then?"

Josh nodded. "Yeah. Pretty sick, I know. Just wait till the tour."

Emily groaned from where she walked, approaching Reed to stand by his side. Reed had to remind himself to relax as his roommate's hands wrapped around his arm.  
'It's just part of the act, man. Calm down.'

"We don't need a tour, Josh. Though we could use a pointer for our luggage."

Josh smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Right upstairs, to your right. That hallway's got a few open rooms. Might I suggest the last one down? In case you need some . . . privacy."  
He winked, and Reed's eyebrows rose, if only slight.

Emily turned to Reed. "Sweet. Honey, why don't you go and take our things upstairs? To the /closest/ room, if you would. Thanks."

Reed sighed in resignation as another knock was heard at the door. Not wanting to meet someone new with all that shit in his hands, he went ahead and grabbed their bags. He was halfway up the stairs when he heard a squeal, then a "Woah, Ashley, don't knock him down!"

"Man down! Man down!"

Reed felt a small smile grace his lips when he reached the top of the stairs. He turned down the corridor, already feeling some hope for the evening yet, if everyone was as friendly as they seemed. He paused just before the door, in front of a small desk and bookshelf. On the desk sat a photo of Josh and a pair of twins. Reed couldn't help but take a closer look.

Huh. Hannah and Beth . . . Weren't those the names of the girls who died?

Reed's face fell, and his eyes lingered on the butterfly tattoo on one of the girls.  
'So young.'

He put the picture down and took one last look before entering their room.

Reed made his way back downstairs and found that there were now 6 people in total, two of which he recognized as the blond girls from earlier, another two as Emily and Josh, and finally a new couple. As he came closer, he was surprised to hear a coy voice calling out to Em.

"Em, is this him? You never mentioned you were dating someone so handsome."

Reed raised an eyebrow at the blond woman's words, smiling at her soft features underneath a double french braid.  
"Thank you, but I wouldn't--"

"Oh, I know. But trust me. /He's/ the lucky one."  
Emily smiled and took Reed's hand as the new pair walked closer.

"Hey, man. I'm Chris. Nice to meet ya."

Reed shook hands with the man, noting how clouded his glasses were from the frost outside. Beside him, a shorter woman with eyes almost as wide as Josh's stepped forward and smiled openly.  
"I'm Ashley. Nice earring."

Reed nodded, suddenly conscious of the metal chain hanging from his ear. "Oh. Thanks. It's Reed."

"Reed. Nice, nice." A pause from Chris. "So, you religious or something?"

Reed blinked. "Huh?"

"Oh, just--y'know, the cross and all. I thought maybe it was a religious thing."

"Oh. Uh, nah, it's more just . . ."

Another knock on the door, this time startlingly loud.

Reed glanced past Ashley's shoulder to see Josh go jogging to the door with a beer in hand. He opened the door and two more guys stepped inside--a tall, black haired man and a well built man with . . . wow, his skin was soft, wasn't it?

Reed spaced out for a second, lulled by the overload of stimulus around him as the two newbies stepped inside. Josh welcomed them in, handed them each a beer, then introduced them to Reed, who snapped out of it just in time to respond appropriately.  
Beside him, Emily stiffened, and he could've sworn she got clingier just as the tall guy--Mike--introduced himself.

Mike's eyes flickered from Emily back to Reed, and for a moment, he feared the worst. Reed hated drama.  
But luckily for him, the guy seemed to regain his composure and gave them both a charming smile.  
"Found yourself a good one, Em."

Reed blinked as Emily just smiled forcefully and ushered Reed away to get some drinks.

So /that/ was the ex.

A few hours passed, and soon the group sat dispersed across a large angled couch and a few arm chairs. Almost everyone seemed to be able to fly through drinks like they were just chips and salsa, and fortunately, Reed was no lightweight. A few drinks in and a log fire later, the group seemed to be settling in just fine. Across from Reed, Mike sat at the edge of his armchair, engrossed in telling a very, uh, /in depth/ story. Beside him sat Matt on his own chair, leaning back and typing something on his phone. To their right, Jessica and Sam shared a chair, Sam sitting on the arm and taking a swig every once in a while as her partner smiled up at her and laughed at Mike's ridiculously detailed scenarios. Josh sat against the fireplace, which was a pretty good decision actually. The other two--Ashley and Chris--sat beside Em and Reed on the couch, an unusual distance apart for a couple.

At least, he assumed they were.

"Gross, gross, gross!" Ashley cringed and covered her ears as Mike made an exaggerated moaning noise.

Sam laughed from her place on the arm of Jessica's chair. "Come on, Mike. Show some mercy."

"Yeah. Nobody wants to hear about your sex life, anyway," Emily piped up from beside Reed.

Mike sniffed and swatted at the air. "You guys just don't appreciate the humor of the situation."

"Some of us do," came Josh's voice. The Egyptian man grinned and looked at Mike through lidded eyes as his head leaned back against his chair.  
"Must've been pretty hot."

"You've got no idea," Mike smirked back, but his face fell in horror at what Josh added next.

"Lucky girl."

Josh took a drink as Mike scowled and furiously denied ever hearing that, and everyone laughed. Reed found himself smiling because here he was, surrounded by a new group of people, and he wasn't even nervous. They all just seemed so . . . down to earth.

Oh, but did he mention feeling relaxed?  
Think again.

It was nearing 11 o'clock when the debate began.  
Emily suggested that they all get to bed, since it'd been a long day getting up to the mountain. Jess and Mike disagreed, insisting that a good first night was exactly what they needed to get the party started. It was a close call, but eventually their votes were tied, leaving Matt as the tie breaker. Reed? Well, he voted for some partying. There was no way he'd fall asleep anytime soon.

When Matt voted for the party games, half the room--mainly Em, Sam, Chris, and Ashley--groaned in protest. But Matt laid it out in pretty reasonable terms.  
"I know, I know, but think about it. Tomorrow we've got the whole day to ourselves, and we don't want to get shitfaced that night--cause Sunday's the memorial."

It made sense.

And so the nine of them moved to start the night--Chris getting more drinks from the fridge, Jess and Sam moving the couch away from the center of the room, and the rest of them doing their civil duty by brainstorming different things to do while drinking to their hearts' content.

"What abouuut, strip beer pong?"

Sam snorted at her girlfriend's suggestion. "Hon, we don't need an orgy."

"Oh, I don't know," Jess mumbled, but her words were covered by Ashley's.

"I mean, why not start with something simple? Like spin the bottle."

"Yes!" Josh clapped his hands together and reached back for one of his empty bottles. "Now that's what I'm talking about."

"Ok, but there have to be consequences." Reed looked in surprise as Emily piped up with a smart smirk. "Like--if someone refuses, they have to move up on base with their next partner."

"I like the way you think," Mike tapped his head then turned to Josh, who was now placing the bottle in the center of their makeshift circle.

When Chris returned, he took a glance at the bottle on the floor and sighed. "I should have known."

"Come on!" Ashley smiled, pulling Chris down with her, nearly spilling their beer. "Oh, sorry--It'll be fun."

Chris rolled his eyes and gave in, a slight blush on his cheeks as he distributed their drinks. "Fine. Just none of Em's stupid rules this time."

"Too late," Reed smirked, winking at his friend. Emily just smiled back, seemingly pleased that he'd joined in.

"Alright, ladies and germs, let's get this started then--"

And then Josh was spinning it, rubbing his hands together and biting his lip as he waited for it to land. When it did, nearly everyone burst into laughter when it stopped directly across from Mike.

Mike took a breath and laid his hands out flat against the air. "Nope. I'll take the penalty. Next round, I go hard."

Josh raised a hand to his heart and feigned a pained expression. "I'm hurt, Munroe."

"Good."

"Pft," Josh smiled, leaning back as Matt spun the bottle round. "You got no idea what you're missing out on."

Matt's spin landed on Sam, and Jess watched with a forced smile as Matt awkwardly kissed her girlfriend before pulling away and quickly scooting back to his place.

"It's just a kiss, man."

Matt avoided Josh's eyes. "Yeah, but you try kissing Jess's girl. It's a miracle looks don't kill."

A few turns passed, each in hilarity or in something that would have been . . . tender, if they weren't all at least a little bit tipsy. After Matt came Ashley, who ended up delivering the single sweetest peck Reed had ever seen to Emily. Chris was up next, and he smirked when the bottle landed on Josh. He'd known the guy forever, afterall. Then came Em, who managed to bullshit her way out of kissing Mike and instead Jessica, who sat beside him. Unfortunately, the damn bottle had a thing for Mike apparently, because the next spin--Reed's spin--pointed right to him.

Reed hesitated, but not for long. Emily had given the single most terrifying gaze he'd ever received. It was horribly calm, and yet her eyes were so rigid he worried they might turn to ice.

Reed swallowed and turned back to the others. "I'll, uh, take that second round punishment."

After dodging a bullet, Emily seemed to relax, as did everyone else, sensing the palpable tension. Beside Reed, Sam took a breath. "Here goes nothing."

To everyone's dismay, the bottle landed just to her left, where Jessica sat, a teasing grin on her lips.

That particular kiss lasted a little longer than the others, and Josh let out a low whistle as Sam took Jessica's hands and held them to the floor. Eventually, however, they parted, and Jess managed to get herself together enough to spin her round.

A few kisses later and the bottle was back to Reed. He'd gotten in one kiss so far--when Emily's spin landed on him. It was awkward, but they both did their best to make it look as natural as possible. Regardless, Reed was glad when it was over with and his turn to spin.  
That is, until he remembered his 'punishment.'

The realization hit him as the bottle spun, and became reality once the bottle pointed to a smirking curly haired man in plaid.

"Oh no," Sam sighed, shaking her head. "Go easy on him, Josh."

"What?" Josh looked almost offended as Reed got up and trudged over to the other man. "You think I'd take advantage of our honored guest? Really, Sammy?"

Reed shook his head, plopping down next to Josh. "You can't go easy."

Josh looked at him in surprise. ". . . What?"

"Them's the rules," he shrugged, nodding toward Emily. "Thank her."

Emily just smiled and waved as Josh rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to--"

"Just let me kiss you, will you?"

And then Reed was swooping down to capture the Washington's lips in his own.  
Josh's eyes widened before falling closed as a tan hand cupped his cheek. The kiss was slow, and soft, and . . . well, Reed wasn't willing to admit that he probably didn't need to kiss the guy for that long. He just couldn't help it. Josh's lips were thin, and his jaw was strong. Reed wondered if . . .  
His hand moved down to Josh's neck, softly grazing his skin as he moved it lower. Josh swallowed, and Reed felt the action through his open palm.

Suddenly, though, it all came rushing back, and Reed pulled away just as Mike had started clapping.  
"Da-amn."

Reed stole one last glance into Josh's wide, curious eyes before turning to the others and bowing lazily. "That, my friends, is why I play with the pros."  
He slinked back to his spot by Emily, who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow and--was that a warning?

"Wow, Em, share a little would ya?" Jess teased, chuckling behind the bottle held halfway to her lips.

Emily simply raised her middle finger with a blown kiss as Mike got ready to spin again. Reed grinned at the attention, but when his eyes swept past Josh, they lingered.

Why was he looking at him like that?

**Author's Note:**

> Shit dudes I suck at ending things. Anyways, I hope u enjoyed! More coming soon. <3


End file.
